Breakthrough
by MeBellis
Summary: Sakura has alot to figure out. "Whenever I pictured this moment I always saw Naruto and him. But not me, never me." Mainly Sasusaku. Even less Narusaku if you have a microscope handy. EPILOGUE UP!
1. Of wars and short hair

**A/N Second story and counting! Dizzy would like to thank people for reading this, you make Dizzy very happy. Dizzy will stop talking in third-person now as Dizzy has to introduce her new story! P.S I do have another chapter for this, but I feel this story works as a one-shot too, so I'm leaving it to you guys to decide whether or not I should post the bit of a continuation or not. (tell me via review)**

Disclaimer: Isn't it already obvious by now that I don't own Naruto?  


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Whenever I pictured this moment I always saw Naruto and him. But not me, never me.

In the final battle to bring Sasuke back to us I had engraved this stone image that it was going to be Naruto fighting him. I didn't really know where I would be, I guess unconscious or something.

Maybe I was looking from the sidelines at them like I always used to.

I always regretted (actually regret; I still do) that, you know. Not going and fighting beside them or, god forbid, in front of them. Never once have they watched by back, because every time I move up they would always double me. I would study the prospect of joining them dubiously, wracking my brain over and over. But I always came up with the conclusion that even if I wanted to I could'nt because I had already fallen too far behind.

After he left I trained harder and harder, telling myself that no matter what I _was_ going to get on their playing ground, I _was_going to fight beside them. Then I met up with Naruto again and my hope came crashing down with the weight of the world on it. Then, because I obviously had'nt been smacked in the face by reality enough by now, I got to go and meet Sasuke too. Woopty fricken doo.

And, right on cue, they both beat me _again_! But I guess somehow I knew they would. Maybe if I tied them both up for a really long time and trained like absolute mad I'd be able to untie them long enough to kick both their asses just so I could say "I did."

After that though they'd probably come back and get me for messing up their precious hair. I swear they must spend more time doing it than I do mine I mean, _their hair defies gravity! _Has anybody else ever noticed this? That and how it's always combed, styled, soft, shiny, silky, smooth…

Bastards.

Back to the point though. What I would truly like to know the most is why the hell after all they've done to prove their just that much better than me, that I'm the one fighting Sasuke?! How did that happen?

By some freakish mystery I am the one standing on the battlefield. Shaking like absolute hell, and trying to keep myself calm with every single fibre of my entire being. My hands are bleeding with my nails digging into them with such ferocity, and I know my heart is beating four times for every time it should beat once.

I stare at him across from me, calm, cool, collected and completely prepared to beat the shit out of me without mercy. He appears sullen and passive, absolutely stoic.

If I ever get my desperate hands on whatever drug he's doing I'd be the happiest girl on earth.

I inhale deeply and try to forget that my legs and arms are already cut up with scratches and bruises that I still haven't found the luxury of healing yet and pray that some greater force up there will give me some kind of breakthrough power. My hair is chopped and messed, I can see some of the strands on the ground (it's pink, not exactly hard to miss. I mysteriously find the time and sarcasm to inwardly joke about how much I suck at camouflage because I can't hide my hair) and sigh.

I let my hair grow out again since then. It wasn't short anymore, but it certainly was a mess. But I guess fighting for days on end in a war can do that to you, you know? Last time I cut my hair to prove that I had grown, so that when I looked in the mirror the next day I could look myself in the eye and say "It really happened. You've grown Sakura." Unfortunately I let my mark be something that faded with time. Everyday my hair grew longer, and every time I thought I had made an accomplishment I would cut it yet again.

But lately I've been studying my slight accomplishments more, "putting it under the microscope" you could say. And, as a result I haven't cut my hair in a _very _long time. It's at my waist now I believe.

I suppose I'm just trying to reach out for some empathy here. Sharing my story, retelling it, going through my shameful I'll admit, plunges and insecurities. I not quite sure If I deserve sympathy, but beggars can't be choosers. I'm begging and right now I'd go for just about any sympathy. Even if it only comes in the minuscule form of giving me the force to unrig my nails from my hand so they can finally stop the bleeding, I would be grateful. Really.

By sheer luck (thank you whoevers up there) I spontaneously recall all of my friends. All of the hope placed on winning this battle, the numerous lives I've saved with my power. My look intensifies on Sasuke.

How many lives has _he_ saved?

With all of that power what worth while thing has _he _done?

How much effort and iron clad willpower has _he_ put into his training?

What on earth has made me afraid of a man who has lived a good-for-nothing life since he severed all his ties with his friends who had become so devoted to each other that we had practically been a family?

Why do my thoughts always revolve around this, this, _jerk?_

I felt myself smirk despite the situation and got the pleasure of seeing him wince. He was nervous at my sudden sprout in confidence. He eyed me suspiciously as my shuddering evened out and my hands unrolled.

Reaching my left hand into my pocket I pulled out my black fighting gloves, I need not give myself a disadvantage when there was no need to. I took my other hand and put them together feeling the soft sensations as they healed themselves. Fitting my gloves on I took my other hand this time and pulled out my kunai.

Twirling it happily between my fingers I finally stopped and gripped the metal hard. Even through my gloves I could feel the cold steel. I raised it up slowly then sparing only one glance just so I could catch a final glimpse of his expression, put it beneath my ponytail and yanked up.

My hair blew off in strands and sprawled themselves across the blood stained ground with other pink hair. The elastic band that was holding my hair up fell on to the ground as well. Just as my headband also began to slowly drop off my head I caught it and shoved it in front of me, the symbol of the front pointing straight at Sasuke.

"This, is what you could've been."

I reattached it to my head so the Konohna leaf was on the dead center of my forehead. I secured it with one final yank, feeling my yet again short hair brush against my hand as I let go.

"And this is what you could've done."

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**A/N Now wasn't that fun? Review Please!!!!!!!!!!! P.S. Just in case if you got lazy and didn't read my note at the beginning I do have another chapter, but it's not crucial for me to add it; this story works as a one-shot too. So in your review (because you _will_ review) add if you want the second part or not. **


	2. Epilogue

A/N Out of a request to upload my second chapter I give you a bit of a continuation kind of a post war thing.  


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Some people call it the battle that ended them all. And with that- I cannot believe otherwise.

They say for a battle to last for four days straight with endless fighting was a miracle unto itself. There I have to bluntly disagree.

My fight with Sasuke lasted for years on end, began the second he left us and broke my heart, intensified when I realized that he would never return willingly, and weakened only on the last seconds that we stood.

But what truly matters is that I won that fight. I may of lost all sight in my left eye (horrible depth perception now I may add.) numerous broken bones that are taking weeks to heal (excruciating pain people, you have no idea); lost most of my hair (slightly proud of this, accomplishments, accomplishments!); destroyed a good half of the village (I keep telling them it could've been worse); brutally damaged Naruto's ego (he thought it would be him too), but I won.

Then there was the matter of Sasuke.

As you have probably already heard I won, which inevitably means he lost. I will admit that there were times during the battle that I believed the only way to come out successful was to kill him. Thankfully though it didn't come to that. Although I don't believe I would have been able to anyway.

He maybe a total jerk, but, he's our total jerk. I just have to give him time to heal, physically and emotionally.

That _is _my specialty.

Plus I guarantee that I will have more help that I'd ever need. With Naruto, excuse me, Hokage , and everyone else I'm sure will get it out of him someday. Whether that requires violence or not is his choice…I did beat him didn't I?

Than again that final blow did seem quite easy…

I'd never admit it but, I think in the end he _let_ me win. He got awfully slow when I delivered my final punch.

Maybe he wanted to come back to us.  
Maybe he wanted to be 'our Sasuke' again.  
Maybe somewhere deep inside he really did miss us.  
Maybe all his connections weren't severed.  
Maybe I've had a bit too much morphine to be thinking clearly.

Whatever the reason, I'm sure Hokage (Naruto) will be lenient with his punishment and will spend a great deal of time on his recovery.

Alongside that, there is the matter of repairing the village that took extreme measures to fix. Naruto keeps bring up the idea of "war-proof" (idiot-proof) buildings because lately it seems we just can't stop breaking things.

Our so called 'building process' has resulted in the demolition of four more, and as such we've sent out a call to other villages to bring in professionals who have strongly advised in the, "absence" of our assistance.

translation: we're idiots who can't even build a stupid bridge.

Okay it hurt. I'll admit that sneaky and well hidden comment made me feel completely incompetent to the point where I asked him if he wanted to take the argument outside. He hastily declined and I got back to the task at hand of healing my badly bruised pride.

So all in all, we've been spending years rebuilding and healing, licking our wounds obsessively so much to the point that if _anyone_ decided to try and take us down while were injured and makes us start _all over_ we would send all of our available assassins on them and tear them limb from limb. (Like very angry dogs on very stupid interlopers) The simile's grim, but hey, we mean it.

As a village I cannot begin to tell you how long we have all craved for the essence of peace. Now, as I look up into the expanse of clouds above me and hear the calm ring of the wind I believe we might be on the verge of it.

As an individual I know that I've been searching endlessly for some type of response to my unrequiented love for years and as I gaze into the face hosting midnight blue eyes -ones finally freed from the blood red tinge- I know that in his own closed manner way, he's reaching out to me.

This time I won't let go.  


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A/N Dum dum dum dum dummmmmmmmmmmmmmm! **_REVIEW!_**


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